The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-29
POPPING THE QUESTION.
How Man Proposes and What Induces
Him to Do It.
From the Chicago Tribune.


Another queer thing is, that almost any
girl will freely confess, with little urging,
the number of proposals she has had, and
goodly proportion of sebered matrons even
are not averse to recounting the conquests
of their youth. But ask a married man
how he happened to propose to his wife AID
in nine cases out of ten he will only answer
with an uneasy laugh and look as sheeplsh
as if you had found him out in the one in
excusable folly his life; and, as for I'M
married men. who has ever known one who
would acknowledge how many times he
had been induced 10 offer himself and his
more or less tempting prospects IN matrl-
monial wayi
To awoman proposal very rarely comes
Unexpectedly. Not that women, as rule,
are given to looking upon every eligible man
in the light of possible lover or husband,
as one young lady declared TO be the case
with herself, but for the reason that the
majority of men very naturally dread a re-
fusal, and cons equently postpone the critical
moment until confidence is inspired by
kindly encouragement of the guarded adj
vances they venture to make. 1t is an oren
secret that a little diplomacy is often EN-
ployed to bring cautious admirer to the
point, and clever is she who SO skillfully
manages the delicate task that the
effort is not ma ifest. All the world
knows how Ruth schemed TO capture Boaz;
and she was a right modest and proper
damsel, too. But Ruth was a widow,
and had had experience, and was level
headed enough besides to see the advantage
of standing by her mother-in-law; so her
success is not to be wondered at Maud
Muller tried very much the same dodge
later on, but it didn't work quite 30 well,
and oil the feminine world has been devils
ing other and equally harmless little schemes
ever since Ruth's triumphant probably
before-down to the famous French woman
who revolved before her partner at ball
and frankly said
Monsieur, desire a husband Do you
not find me beautifulF
And he CALAMITY replied:
"Mademoiselle, we will be married TO-
morrow"
This was about as direct a proposal as
that of prominent man N the Northwest,
whose courtship had been rather long drawn
o 1T Il am going to the Rocky Mountains,
he abruptly remarked ole evening, land If
you want to go as my wife be ready next
week, and she was ready.
Equally-matteI- of-fact was the following.
written by a Yale man on a gllt-edged in
vitatioc card;
MY DEAR -: You will probably not he
| greatly surprised at receiving proposal from
me- The fact is, it is the proper thing to be en-
| gagged Junior year. and, as it has always been
| understood that we should be married some day,
| we may as well come to an agreement now. OF
| course, you know that love you, aud all that,
| and, If you accept me- shall write to you reg
ularly, initiate you into the class secrets and tell
| you about all my affairs. Anxiously awaiting a
| favorable reply, yours devotedly, -.
| The depth of devotion which prompted
this remarkable epistle may be questioned |;
| but it stands as unique example of COL
| lege boys first effort
| Very few people fall in love at first sight,
and propinquity is doubtless the commonest
cause of marriage, though occasionally an
unprecedented act or needless jest develops
into serious attachment. Master Cupid
has roguish eye, ever on the watch for
unwary game, and freque ltly sends his
| arrows in unexpected direction.
Circus-goers of twenty-five years ago wi !
! remember Herr Driesbach, the celebrated
| lion tanner, but probably have never in
| their minds connected him with a romance
| and yet he not only had a veritable romance
| in his life, but one that blossomed out of a
| dish of onions; and it was through the
| medium. of that most plebeian vegetable
| that he won his lovely wife. Persons who
| knew Mrs. Driesbach before her marriage
recall her as the belle of Worcester, o., of
| which place her father was a wealthy resi-
| dent. Accomplished as she was beautiful,
witty and full of pranks, to meet her was
never to forget her. Happening to be placed
with a party of young people at hotel
| table where Drtesbach was sitting, some
| one dared her to pass him dish of onions.
| Immediately selling the dish she not only
| passed it. but inquired if he would have an
| onion. He said he would, and took one
| and from so small a beginning sprung an
| acquaintance that in three months ended in
marriage. 1t was a singular match, and
people long wondered whether the dauntless
/ 81
| tanning his wife.
But one of the most absurd tricks Cupid
! has been known TO play recently occurred
within the last few months i'll a prosperous
| little city far up the Mississippi. Returning
| from a sleighing party one wintry evening,
| a giddy youth and maiden fell TO discussing
| the strange fact that although they had so
! long known one another by name they never
| before had met I've heard you're an
awful fiilt,n said he. ''Just what I've heard
about you,n said she. And so controversy
began and continued until the needless pair
decided tnat there was but one way to settle
tn question of who was the more desperate
fiirt.
Wen have a Irritation for just three
weeks said Blondel Whose name doesn't
begin with b. ''rll be up Friday evening
and wen begin"
He kept hi, word, and they proceeded to
riday be sent box of roses; Sunday he
Joined her at church, and she invited him to
dinner; Monday he took her to the theatre;
Tues Jay to drive. and so on Jacques per-
petually blossomed on her table; and, if a
day passed that Blondel wasn't there, mes
sehger boy was At the end of the three
weeks Blondel inquired if she was tired of
it.
"Not at all" said she.
''Shall we try it another three weeksF'
with all my heart"
Meantime society had something to talk
about and three more weeks sped away.
Then he proposed, and she rose in her
wrath, and told him that a Irritation was a
filtration, but when it came to asking girl
to marry, that was carrying it too far.
but / am IN earnest lie reconstructed.
And then she did the always-to-be-a-sis-
ter-in-law act; but he sad never a word,
only bided wee aud proposed again This
time she wavered, and the nice young man
continued the even tenor of his way until
one fine day he calmly declared:
II am certainly going to marry you. and
before the first of the year, so You may as
well engage yourself to me now"
And thus it was that the little god re-
vepged himself upon two people who
thoughtlessly deied his power and gave old
HyInen certain knot to tie just before the
holidays.
Man seldom finds his mate when and
where he expects-and it is generally
chauce-accident--K Ismet-that controls
him, in spite of all.